UK comes first in fast broadband coverage

However, only 9 in 100 of households making use of the enhanced speeds.

The UK now leads in superfast home broadband access, usage and choice for both mobile and fixed broadband as well adoption rate compared to five other major European economies, a new Ofcom report revealed.

The UK communication regulator’s latest European Broadband Scorecard, revealed that the UK’s accessibility of superfast broadband has increased to 73%, helping it from jump from third to first position in terms of broadband coverage among the ‘EU5’ including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

About 75% of UK homes currently access superfast broadband with speeds of or over 30Mbps, while only nine in every 100 households making use of the enhanced speeds.

Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said: "Despite this progress for the UK, there is more to be done."

"We want to see even wider availability of superfast broadband across the UK, so as many people as possible can enjoy faster speeds to access the internet," Richards said.

"There is also more progress to be made to ensure consumers receive consistently high quality of service, including faster line repairs and installations for broadband and telephony."

Among all other EU5 nations, the UK topped the list with highest broadband take-up (83%); online shopping over a year (77%); weekly usage of the internet (87%); proportion of citizens not use internet (8%).